Bracing for "Barbie" and the bomb
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"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." Photos: Courtesy of Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures
Behold, the duality of film.
Driving the news: Starting Thursday, you can watch a pink-laden Barbie venture into the real world — or moody atomic bomb creator Oppenheimer usher in a new world.
- You could also join the masses in making this a unique double feature event. The movies have the potential to be big box office hits despite theatrical releases struggling to recover from the pandemic.
- Movie buffs are hyped about these two disparate movies releasing at the same time and are arguing about the order in which to watch them — darkness first and then a cute palette cleanser? Or the other way around?
State of play: Excitement for the films has spread all over the internet, spurring endless memes and "Barbiecore" fashion.
- Warner Bros. Pictures and the Downtown Detroit Partnership partnered last week to bring a Barbie-themed beach party to Campus Martius.
What's happening: We've laid out what you need to know to take part in the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon locally.
- "Barbie" begins showing Thursday around 3pm and "Oppenheimer" mostly around 5pm (even though the technical release date for both movies is Friday).
- While many premiere events are sold out, a surprising number of tickets to see either movie Thursday are still available at nearby theaters like MJR in Warren, Emagine Royal Oak and AMC in Madison Heights.
- Though local theaters don't appear to be advertising double features, thousands of people are choosing to book both films on the same day, per IndieWire.
- Detroit's sole traditional theater, Bel Air Luxury Cinema, has "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" showtimes listed for Thursday starting around 3pm.
Be smart: "Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan shot the film to be shown on distinctive, immersive IMAX 70mm screens. There are fewer than 30 of these special theaters worldwide and one of them is in Detroit — the Chrysler IMAX Dome Theatre at the Michigan Science Center.
What they're saying: "I keep hearing 'Oppenheimer' is Nolan's most disturbing and ambitious project, so I think I’m going to need to sit with it for a few days," Ishan Biswas of Farmington Hills told the Detroit News.
- The News also spoke with someone who's gearing up for "Barbie" — Jameel Baksh of Dearborn, who said, "I'm definitely excited to see the costumes and set, because it seems so accurate to the toy design."